Hometown: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Chantal is a native or T or C (which is what the locals call it).

Occupation: She works at Blackstone Hot Springs Motel. She and her husband also run a youth skateboarding competition here in town called the Fiesta State Competition.

What colors remind you of New Mexico / T or C?

She immediately thought of the color of the infamous New Mexico sky. We talked about how difficult it is to explain how or why the sky here is different. “It’s bigger,” she says. “When I go other places I never seem to notice the sky, but every time I come back to New Mexico the first thing I notice is how wide it looks, how it’s just a blanket over the whole world.”

She also thinks of the green up on Turtleback Mountain. “When I think of the colors of T or C, I think of the colors the mountain experiences through the motions of the sky”.

How do you think Truth or Consequences celebrates color?

She explains that there is a natural artistic tendency in the town. She says that the people here, “create art just through caring about the community and giving to the community. “ So many people here just allow anyone to paint a mural on the side of their building.

By allowing artists to express themselves, they become a part of the artistic process. “The spirit of letting people exist is what brings the colorfulness to the town”.